DONOR & HERO: Adam McFadden

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I’m so happy. Every time I think about it, I’m almost in tears.” This was a day before meeting an 18-year-old named Lamar Adams. McFadden saved Adams’ life, or as McFadden says, extended it, by donating his blood stem cells.

McFadden signed up five years ago at a recruitment drive at James Madison High School of Excellence. A friend’s son had leukemia, but McFadden wasn’t a match. Then, in late fall 2003 and more than 300 miles away in the Bronx, Adams went for a physical so he could play high school basketball and was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Under program rules, donor and recipient must remain anonymous for at least a year. McFadden said he thought about it every day, then started making inquiries when the year was up.Story…

REAL STORIES MENU

Watch this short story of a loving brother who tries to become a stem cell donor for his sister in hopes of saving her life. Watch as he goes through the actual donation process.

Jaden Hilton (2003-2007)

3yr old Jaden of New Jersey needed a marrow transplant to survive Leukemia. Unfortunately, his brother was not a match for him. Due to the lack of donors within the bone marrow donor pool... (read more)

Karen Drayden (r.i.p.)

Karen from Dallas Texas, was a 25 year veteran of the United States Postal Service. In early 2009 she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. After initial chemotherapy and a relapse, it was determined that her best chances of survival would be a bone marrow transplant. With out a matching sibling... (read more)